Speed Freaks (game)
Please Note: Some of this information is acquired from the Wikipedia article of the game, so this notice is to let any viewers know! For the group of characters, see Speed Freaks (group) Speed Freaks is a kart racing video game developed for the Sony PlayStation video game console by Funcom. It was released in Europe in September of 1999, and in North America on March 31st, 2000 under the title of Speed Punks. Gameplay Speed Freaks is a kart racing game featuring several single and multiplayer modes. During the game, players take control of one of nine characters and drive karts around tracks with various themes. During a race, the player's viewpoint is from behind his or her kart. The goal of the game is to either finish a race ahead of other racers, who are controlled by the computer and/or other players, or complete a circuit in the fastest time. Boxes marked with question marks are arrayed on the race tracks; they give weapons (pick-ups) to a player's kart if the vehicle passes through them. Pick-ups, such as missiles and slime, allow racers to attack their opponents in order to overtake them. A player that obtains an invisibility pick-up is temporarily invulnerable to attack, as well as being invisible and able to steal speed boost energy from opponents. The player can store up to three of the same type of pick-up at a time. Lines of speed boost tokens are found on the tracks. By running through these tokens, the player collects them and fills the cells on the speed boost bar. The player can use accumulated speed boost to increase speed at a faster rate than under normal acceleration. On most tracks, there is a single special speed boost token, which fills the speed boost bar completely. Players can also perform a powerskidding maneuver to go through corners more effectively than with regular steering. Controls Menu screens *'X Button': Accept *'Triangle Button': Back *'D-Pad/Left Analog Stick': Highlight options Custom League screen *'X Button': Add track *'Triangle Button': Cancel *'Square Button': Erase track *'Circle Button': Clear league Gameplay *'X Button/Right Analog Stick Up': Acceleration *'Square Button/Right Analog Stick Down': Brakes/Reverse *'Triangle Button': Change camera view *'L1/R1 Button(s)': Powerskid *'R2 Button': Boost *'L2 Button': Use pick-up *'D-Pad/Left Analog Stick': Steering Gameplay Modes Normal *'Tournament': Race in a league of four tracks on Easy, Medium or Hard. There is also an option that allows players to create their own custom league with up to five tracks of their choice. The racer with the most points by the end of a league is the winner. Placing 1st in every race in either the Easy, Medium, or Hard league gives you the right to challenge one of three unlockable characters. *'Single Race': A single, five-lap race at any of the unlocked tracks. *'Time Attack': A time-trial mode where the player can set a record on any of the unlocked tracks. A time attack session can have the standard five-lap duration, or a freerun mode where he or she can run as many laps as they wanted. There is also the option of turning on a time ghost to race against in a session, as well as to activate or deactivate the speed boost and max boost tokens. *'VS.': A two-player battle in either a single race or a league of four races, with the option of activating or deactivating the pick-ups. The number of laps can be set up to 9. *'Multiplayer': Speed Freaks can support multi-tap peripherals, allowing for up to four players to race against each other in either a single race or a league. Obstensibly, a multi-tap accessory is required for this mode. *'Options': Allows the player to set the audio, manage his/her save file, and view the track records for Time Attack. *'Bonus': Allows the player to access bonus features unlocked throughout the game as he/her completes the Easy, Medium, and Hard leagues in Tournament mode. Bonus *'Challenges': Play against any one of the three unlockable characters in a 3-lap duel. *'Bonus Time Attack Mode': Set a record in any of the twelve bonus tracks. *'Bonus VS. Mode': A two-to-four player duel in the bonus tracks. For races up to four players, a multi-tap is needed. *'Viewer': A bonus feature where the player can view the Funcom logo FMVs, along with the FMV that is played when the game is complete, along with the credits sequence and the opening FMV. *'Gold Wheels': Activating this equips the player (and the opposing racers) with golden tires that increases the speed and acceleration of their karts, with an orange light trail at higher speeds for effect. This can also be deactivated for the standard tires. Characters There are nine characters to choose from in Speed Freaks, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, along with unique personalities. When you start playing the game, there are only six available, and the other three must be unlocked by placing 1st in all races in a league and beating the unlockable character in a three-lap race. The character design has a super-deformed, limbless kind of aesthetic to it, reminiscent of UbiSoft's Rayman series. This also applies to the karts that they drive, as they are depicted as consisting of four wheels, a seat and a steering wheel. Starting *Tempest *Monty *Brains *Tabitha *Monica *Buster & Wedgie Unlockable *Cosworth *Tetsuo *BEEMER Development The game was designed by the SD Team at Funcom Dublin in Ireland, and was produced by Padraig Crowley. Speed Freaks was developed in a period of over two years, with working titles such as Project SDR, SD Racing, and Wheelnuts. When Sony acquired the rights to release the game in North America, they were originally slated to release the game in 1999, but held back the release date to avoid competing with Naughty Dog's Crash Team Racing. Reception Speed Freaks has gotten a lot of positive reviews, especially with IGN giving the North American version a 9/10. Credits Funcom *Producer: Padraig Crowley *Programming: Ivar Olsen, Mark Lee, and Stephen Gallagher *Graphics: Philip Plunkett, Lasse Louhento *Modelling: Ed Thomas, Barry Lawless, Hans Jørgen Kjærnet *Animation: Michael Boylan *Concept Art: Aidan Walsh *Sound: Martin Schioler *Testing: Mark Comley NOTE: To see the complete credits, go here Gallery Logos SpeedPunksLogo.png|Speed Punks logo SDRlogo.gif|Early SDR logo Screenshots No images yet